iPhone iOS 4.3.4 update: Jailbreak hole blocked

We’ve heard about a few vulnerabilities in iOS over the past few weeks, and Apple has acted on at least one of these with some new firmware that released today. Apple’s iOS 4.3.4 update is live now for download via iTunes, and will work with the 3rd / 4th generation iPod touch, both iPad models, iPhone 3GS, and the GSM iPhone 4. Verizon iPhone 4 users also get a firmware update today, which is iOS v4.2.9.

The update is said to be a small one that mainly fixes a security problem, which affected iOS and malicious PDF-reading. The software will not include lots of new features for the end user, but as this is a security issue it is recommended that all users update as soon as possible. Those that have jailbroken their iOS device are likely to run into problems, so the software might not be good for these people. You’re able to read the full details of this security update in this article.

It’s being widely reported that the JailbreakMe iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad jailbreak will be affected by this new firmware, which will mean any jailbreak device using this method could lose the ability to install third-party software. Apple is known to take security seriously, and this PDF weakness has been patched very quickly (within 10 days or so). Jailbreaking aside, having this kind of security issue with iOS devices is not good for the user, and opens iPhone’s and other iOS devices up for attack. While the problem is now fixed, it is known that this is the second time Apple has had to patch a PDF-viewing vulnerability and it makes us wonder what else is not fixed, or could be opened up for attack in iOS 5.

There are other security fixes in this update, which can also be read via the above link. One of these is an issue in the iOS’s IOMobileFrameBuffer, which was patched to stop malicious code from gaining system privileges. It obvious that jailbreakme.com did not release their jailbreak with malicious reasons, but this does not mean other hackers might not want to exploit the issue that once was.